Infants in Foster Care

The Court Appointed Special Advocates for children (CASA) most recent newsletter focused on infants in the foster care system They reported that in 2010 half of the children entering foster care were under five years old.

If a child is entering foster care at such a young age it is most likely due to some type of neglect and maltreatment, which can translate into a variety of issues for the children. In Brenda Jones Harden and Carlo Panlilio's report Developmental Outcomes of Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System we know a little more about what problems these kids are exposed too. The issues they discuss range from, delays in cognitive development with relation to literacy and language skills that translates into lower academic progress, delayed physical growth, and social-emotional problems. This shows just how important a child's' judge and foster parents are for these young children. They have the ability to help and support these children and reverse some of these potential problem. 

In addition to judges and foster parent who are directly involved in a child's life there are multiple organizations that provide help for these infants. One of the most influential programs being; Zero to Three (ZTT). Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. Just like A Family For Every Child they have a variety of programs and initiatives to support their mission, some of which focus on infants in or about to enter the foster care system. 

In order to promote the well-being of all children there are many different programs being set into motion due to the innovation of Zero to Three and many other organizations across the nation. These tactics include: 

• Pre-removal conferences- Conferences that help to reduce trauma to children .
• The creation of Court Teams Initiatives by ZTT to address developmental needs of young children in the system. 
• Programs aimed towards involving Fathers in their child's life.
• "Parent Partners" Started with the help of ZTT to provide support to parents working to regain custody of their children.  
•  Family Wellness Court to keep infants and toddlers with their families.

More initiatives and stories focused on helping toddlers in, or about to enter, foster care/welfare system can be found at the Judges' Page March Newsletter from CASA.

Foster parents for infants/toddlers can often be hard to find because this age group is notorious for being short term placements and being more susceptible to problems from pregnancy. But the parents who do foster these children can be the ones who have the most positive impact on these babies and can change their lives forever. And as outlined above there are numerous organizations and programs designed to help both the children and their foster care providers.